SALAMANCA — With the season of giving and sharing in mind, Hometown Rent to Own will be handing out free Thanksgiving dinners to help families in need Friday, Nov. 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. The business is located at 203 Center St. in the Center Street Plaza.
Matthew Radecki and Christopher Fiegl, who co-own the business, said people don’t have to be a customer of theirs to participate.
Upon arrival, they will have a table full of food items to choose from including mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, stuffing and dinner rolls. Participants will also be given a gift card to redeem at Sander’s Parkview where they can pick up their turkey.
“We partner with Sander’s Parkview this time of year. Their support in this is huge,” Radecki said. “Radio station MIX 101.5 FM of Olean will be doing a live broadcast onsite from 4 to 6 p.m. that day. We’ll also be doing other giveaways.”
According to Radecki, this is the third year they have held this event as a thank you to the community that has supported them. They would like to give back once again this year by handing out the makings for 150 to 200 full Thanksgiving dinners to people who need help making ends meet.
Because there is a limit to the dinners, Radecki said they encourage people to get to the event sooner, rather than later, because they will be packed with people lined up to get the food items.
“We know the holiday season is especially hard for many people who just can’t afford it, so we like to bring families together by doing this each year,” he said. “If you think about it, this is a difficult time of year with Christmas coming up. People are saving for that holiday and they also have other bills to pay.
“Thanksgiving dinner can get pretty expensive and some people don’t have the extra funds, especially with the economy we are in,” he continued. “We want to try to take care of anybody in need, and we want to make sure nobody is going without, especially this time of year.”
Anybody in the area is welcome to come, without any obligation, and take food home to enjoy for Thanksgiving. Radecki said there are many people out in the community who might be in need. If someone knows of an individual or family in need, they can come down to pick up the dinner and take it to them.
“Last year was a great success,” he said. “We hope to grow this every year and help more and more people in our community.”
To find out more about Hometown Rent to Own, call 265-2080 or find the business on Facebook.
(Contact reporter Deb Everts at salpressdeb@gmail.com)
